Caspian Annexation Campaign
Undertaken at the onset of 8 ABY, the Caspian Annexation Campaign was part of Emperor Bacharan Valak's movement to overwhelm any forces opposing the Galactic Empire. Caspia was chosen for its strategic location, regional military prowess, and ambivalence to any other alliances. The Empire invaded under the auspices of an escorted diplomatic port-of-call, and quickly overran the unprepared Union forces. However, the Imperial forces were unable to declare complete victory, due to intense localized resistance, and began an occupation that would last through three months of grueling attrition. Abetted by some of the worst weather in its recorded history, the commonwealth seat world of Caspar managed to force a draw and broker a ceasefire. Buildup Caspia occupies a strategic zone at the edge of the Mid Rim, transitioning into the worlds of the Outer Rim. It serves as a crossroads, or gateway, system from the unordered expanse of the Slice to such Outer Rim entities as the Tion Hegemony, Cronese Mandate, and Calamari System. At the time, the New Republic had swelled to occupy the most sectors it ever had, and an axis of strength and supply lay from these systems, along the Perlemian Trade Route, clear through to Coruscant. The New Republic had left several entities in the Mid Rim – such as the Bothan Federation, the Hapes Consortium, the Griffon Alliance, and the Caspian Democratic Union – to remain autonomous. Deception & Assault As per a relayed communique, an Imperial task force comprised of three Star Destroyers and their escorts arrived in Caspia early in the Casparian morning. Most of the Union's Third Fleet was on hand to meet them, and they were escorted through the outer orbits to the inner worlds. Once there, they were dispersed as per Caspian protocol of the day so as not to have one focused knot of potential power. All told, nine ships of the Empire were inside the Tudedythiceon Belt, three of them being ''Imperator''-class Star Destroyers. While this would alarm most, Crest officials reassured those concerned that the Empire was on a goodwill, diplomatic visit, and that the dispersal of ships to un-concentrated locations — near Mergansar and Olumekar, besides Caspar itself — would dilute any overbearing power the Empire had and keep them in check. After taking up orbit over Caspar along with the Legerity and Acclaim of Order, the Star Destroyer ''Emperor Valak'' disembarked several shuttles bearing the ambassadorial party to the surface. Chief among the party was Polance Vertimoor, an ambassador the Caspians were familiar with, and Jarl Rellik, Valak's trusted advisor and appointed leader of this expedition. During the next few hours, several shuttles traveled to and from the Imperial starships, all under the auspices of exchanging supplies with contracted locations on the surface. After six hours, the Acclaim of Order drifted away from its orbit to a pre-arranged set of coordinates within the Caspian system, among the Inner Worlds. This was explained as a re-positioning of the ship so as to relay a HoloNet transmission of the day's proceedings back to Imperial territory. The transmission was made, but within the transmission was a specific set of instructions and coordinates, picked up and decrypted by Imperial starships lurking just outside Union territory. Some thirty minutes later, fifteen SONG posts detected hyperspace arrivals near them by multiple large starships, and then immediate departures. Scant minutes later, the first of some twenty Imperial warships arrived on the edge of the system, with some promptly executing an in-system jump to the coordinates Acclaim of Order had relayed. One of the patrolling warships, [[CMS Warder|CMS Warder]], had her suspicion raised, and she heeled over to query [[ISD Tyrant|HIMS Tyrant]]. Unwilling to hold the deception any longer, Tyrant opened fire and blew Warder apart, thus opening the Battle of the Inner Caspian Worlds. Occupation Resistance in Kind >> Battle of Ketterslea Season of Woeful Attrition >> Siege of Trinumvira Endgame >> Battle of the Belt Assessment While the Empire succeeded in occupying Caspia for nearly three months and disrupting any semblance of ordered trade and commerce in the region, it ultimately underestimated the resolve of the Caspians, or more appropriately, the other citizens of the Union. The severity of Caspar's weather this particular year, too, did severely hamper any Imperial operations. Category:Conflicts